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J. J. RUDD'IGK.

PIRE ALARM B0X.

Patented Deo. 23

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J, J. RUDDIOK. PIRE ALARM B0X.

N. 44535182. l M Patented Deo. 23, 1890. l

fili y "MIIIIL v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. RUDDIOK, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERSTATE VFIRE ALARM COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FI RE-ALARM BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,182, dated December 23, 1890.

Application tiled SeptemberlrS, 1890. Serial No. 364,830. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern: rect the detent-pin outwardly just as the Be it known that I, JOHN J. RUDDICK, a spring did in my previous patent. This cam citizen of the United States, residing at may be formed integrally with the plate Cf, or Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State may be affixed thereto in any suitable man- 55 5 of Nebraska, have invented anew and useful ner, and I find in practice that it is prefer- Improvement in Fire-Alarm Boxes, of which able to the spring heretofore used for a simithe following is a specification. lar purpose. The detent-pin is arranged and My present invention relates to hre-alarm located as heretofore and connected with a boxes, and its object is to improve the conpivoted detent-lever F, the outer end of which 6o 1o struction of certain details of boxes of the is forced upward by a spring and has a progeneral class shown in my patent, No. 404,438, jecting vertical piece for contact with the redated June 4, 1889. leasing power or other actuating power.

The invention consists in the construction The main shaft Gof the clock-work extends substantially as hereinafter described and upwardly through the casing or cover of the 65 15 claimed. box. Rigidly secured to this main shaft is a Like letters refer to similar parts in the sevratchet I-I, into a tooth of which a pawl I is eral figures of the drawings, in whichnormally held by means of a spring or other- Figure l is a plan View of a fire-alarm conwise. taining my improvement. Fig. 2 is a verti- A disk K, carrying a hub or sleeve, loosely 7o zo cal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view surrounds the shaft, and the winding and reof certain portions of the mechanism shown leasingleverL also carries a hub or sleeve and in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same. is mounted to revolve loosely upon the same Fig. 5 is a detail view, in side elevation and shaft. In the present instancelprovide the partly in section, of the starting and Winding sleeve of the disk 'with a reduced portion for 75 25 lever and its connection with the main shaft. a part of its length, and form a groove in the Fig. 6 is a section of the same on the line .r Qc, lowerlarger portion thereof, in whieha tongue looking upward. Fig` 7 is a detailed view of upon the sleeve of the lever may freely play the sleeves. and move a distance determined by the throw Inasmuch as my present invention relates which it is desired the lever shall have. I 8o 3o entirely to improvements in a few details of place a spring M between the disk and the the mechanism illustrated and set forth in my lever and connect the opposite ends thereof former patent, I shall not attempt in this to these parts. In the presentinstanceIhave specification to set forth in detail the other shown a coiled spiral spring; but I find a fiat features of the apparatus with which the spring to be efficient. One end of the lever 8 5 3 5 present invention is designed to be connected, L may have a handle for operating the same,

but will merely generally indicate the same. and the other end a toe or cam piece N.

A designates the box, of the usual construe The operation of my invention is as follows: tion, which contains a clock mechanism, a Then it is desired to release the elockinechmagnet, and the other general features of anism the detent-pin is lifted above the stop 9o 4o boxes of this class. The number-wheel in on the iianged wheel by turning the lever L this box carries another wheel B, provided until its toe or cam-piece Nmoves over and with a vertical peripheral liange eut away at comes in Contact with the vertical projection intervals corresponding to the teeth or pins from the detent-lever and thereby depresses of the number-wheel, as has heretofore been the same. By the saine movement of the le- 95 45 done. Upon the upper surface of the outer ver L the spring M secured thereto is caused rim of this wheel I3, I place a plate C, as has to move, and by its stress to tend to'turn the before been donc; but instead of the spring disk carrying the pawl I, and thus turn the which was employed in my former patent to ratchet H, and the shaft to which such ratchet direct the detent-pin outwardly, I in the presis affixed, and wind up the mainspring of the roo 5o ent instance raise from the top surface of the clock-work. If, however, the mainspring has plate C a cam D, which is curved so as to dialready been wound, the lever may be still moved for the purpose of operating the proj ection and releasing the detent-pin, inasmuch as the groove in the hub of t-he disk permits the tongue of the hub or sleeve of the lever to move sufficiently to give a complete throw to the lever, and the spring will merelybe tightened during this movement. If the mainspring of the clock-work has been partially wound up, the throw of the lever will put its spring under strain or tension andl thus cause the disk to move and complete the winding of the mainspring, and then the tongue will move in the groove until the throw of the lever is completed. In this manner a single throw of the lever can be made to wind the clock mechanism. and simultaneously release the detent-pin, so that such mechanism may act to give ,the alarm, and, .on the other hand, if the clock mechanism has been wound and it is desired to sound an alarm, the springconnection between the lever and the shaft and the play allowed by the tongue and groove will permit the lever to be given its full throw and thus release the detent-pin independently of the winding mechanism.

It is obvious that my improvements may be applied to alarm-boxes varying in some particulars from that shown in my former patent, though Il prefer to use such box or boxes substantially similar thereto. It is also manifest that in place of the two sleeves and the tongue-and-groove connection between them, any construction which would connect the shaft and the winding and releasing lever so as to provide for some play between the same would be an equivalent to the construction heretofore described for this purpose and would come within the spirit of myinvention. A skilled mechanic could readily devise many different forms of construction for this pur- Jose.

1 What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a lire-alarm mechanism, the combination of a clock mechanism, a single lever connected to the clock mechanism for winding the same, and a detent for the clock mechanism arranged in the path of the clock-winding lever, whereby the movement of the latter may directly accomplish the double function of winding the clock mechanism and releasing the detent.

2. In a tire-alarm mechanism, the combination of a clock mechanism and a detent therefor with a mechanism for winding the clock Amechanism and releasing the detent, said mechanism having provision for permitting a play between 4it and the clock mechanism when the latteris wound and itis desired to operate the detent, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a fire-alarm mechanism, the combination, with a clock mechanism, of a .detent there-for, a lever yieldingly connected to the main shaft of the clock mechanism and having a projecting portion which may be brought over and in contact with the detent to release the same, whereby the detent may be released and the clock mechanism Wound simultaneously or the detent released separately and after the clock mechanism has been previously wound, substantially as described.

4. In a fire-alarm mechanism, the combination, with a clock mechanism, of a detent therefor and a lever loosely mounted upon the main shaft of the clock mechanism and having a yielding connection therewith, and having a projecting portion for operating and releasing the detent, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a tire-alarm, the combination, with a clock mechanism, of a detent therefor, the main or winding shaft of such clock mechanism extending through the cover, and a lever loosely mounted upon the outer end of such main'shaft and yieldingly connected therewith, and having a projecting end for operating and releasing the detent, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

6. In a fire-alarm mechanism, the combination of a clock mechanism provided with a main shaft extending through the cover of the same, a ratchet affixed to such shaft, a disk having a pawl for engaging such ratchet, and a hub or sleeve having a groove therein, a lever loosely mounted upon the shaft and having a hub provided with a tongue having a free playin such groove, a spring Whose respective ends are connected to the lever and the disk, a projecting portion to the lever, and a detent for the clock mechanism adapted to be released by such lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

'7. In a tire-alarm, the combinaticn, with a lianged wheel provided with a definite number of breaks in such iianges, a plate upon the upper face of such wheel having a hook projecting outwardly beyond the iange of the same, a rigid cam attached to the plate and having its surface incline toward and beyond the point .of the hook, of a detent-pin normally held uponY one side or the other of the iiange to the wheel and adapted to be guided by the .cam from the inside of the flange to the outside thereof, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a fire-alarm, the combination of the known form of flanged wheel having the detent-hook, a rigid cam-face affixed to such hook and inclined toward and beyond the point thereof, and a detent-pin force-operation with said parts, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN J. RUDDICK.

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